Arizona
by The Charmed Rose
Summary: Sutton Gilbert once belonged to the tipical outsider crowd, remaining unseen and invisible. But cursed with super-healing and the strange ability to get inside the head of an original vampire, with what's coming this is just the tip of the iceburg... Elijah/OC
1. Pilot

So here it was. The first day back to school had finally arrived. I tugged the covers over my head, and sighed.

Barely a few months ago, my parents Miranda and Grayson Gilbert had died. After picking up my twin sister Elena from a party, there car had accidently drove off Wickery Bridge.

Me, Elena, our little brother Jeremy, and our aunt Jenna were devastated. We'd lost are family...

"Get up!" A voice called, tugging the covers away from my face. "Na, I'm cool Jenna!" I replied, giving her the thumbs up with my eyes still closed.

"Sutton if you're not dressed in the next twenty minutes, I'm off to find a bucket of cold water." She informed me nonchalantly.

"Okay, I'm up!" I screeched loudly. I awkwardly tumbled out of bed, and stood straight in front of Jenna.

"I'll see you downstairs," she laughed, closing the door behind her. I smiled for a while afterwards, and then went into the bathroom to shower.

After I changed into my simple white t-shirt and jeans, and managed to make my hair suitable, I ran downstairs, eager to get first pickings on breakfast.

"Toast, I can make toast." Jenna called from the fridge. "It's all about the coffee aunt Jenna," replied Elena, pouring some for herself.

"Sutton?"

"Nah, I'm cool." I brushed her off, taking a bite of a bagel. "Is their coffee?" asked Jeremy, as he emerged into the kitchen.

"The prodigal brother is here!" I exclaimed with a grin. Jeremy rolled his eyes. "It's your first day of school, and I'm totally unprepared..." Jenna drawled.

"Lunch money?" she asked, holding out three bags. Jeremy grabbed his, and I got up from my seat.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Anything else?" Jenna asked herself. "Number two pencil?" I chuckled lightly. "What am I missing?"

My eyes widened. "Don't you have a presentation today?" I asked in realization. "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at..." Jenna trailed off for a few seconds as she glanced at her watch.

"Crap!" Jenna exclaimed, untying her hair, and gathering her things. "Go, we'll be fine." Ordered Elena.

Jenna headed out, and it was then just the three of us. "Are you okay?" Elena asked Jeremy, in concern.

"Don't start." He groaned, a sip from his coffee, and walked off.

"Crap!" I shouted, as I dropped my glass of orange. Glass shattered everywhere, and the juice spilled out on to the floor.

Elena laughed at my clumsiness, and helped clean away the orange, while I got rid of the glass.

I cringed as I glanced at my hand, and saw a jagged piece of glass protruding from it. Elena didn't notice, as she was gathering up her school things.

I pulled the glass free, and seconds later the wound began to close up. Once it healed, it was as though nothing had ever been there.

I dropped the bloodstained glass into the bin, and I swallowed. This had been happening to me for a while now, and it was starting to freak me out.

Ever since my parents died, anytime I had ever been wounded, I've miraculously healed. Cuts, bruises, and a broken leg.

It was as though I was invincible or something. I cast a glance over to the news, and saw the broadcast of the deaths of Darren Mallory, and Brooke Fenton.

Poor people.

I hadn't told anyone about my newfound ability, apart from my best friend Lillian Bishop, who took it all in stride.

"You coming with me and Bonnie?" Elena asked, as she turned around to face me. I shook my head, and rolled my eyes.

She'd been trying to get me to be friends with Bonnie Bennett, and Caroline Forbes for a long while. But just because we were in the same social group, didn't mean I had to be friends with them.

I didn't even like, or talk to them that much. I just didn't find them worth talking too, and I wasn't interested in the things they were.

I know it sounds harsh, but it's just how I felt. I had only ever had Lily for a friend, and she was all I needed.

A honk from outside signalled that my ride was here. "Gotta go!" I exclaimed, grabbing my bag and practically sprinting from the house.

"Hey Sutton!" greeted a smiling Lily, from her car. "Hey." I smiled back, opening up the door and slipping into the front seat.

I had barely shut the door, when Lily drove away from the house at light speed. "Easy!" I hissed, easing into my seat.

Lily just chuckled lightly, and turned on the radio. The radio began to play, Jolene. Lily looked to the side, as she knew it was a song we loved to sing obnoxiously loud to.

"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene." We began to sing along loudly, causing people on the streets to stare. "Please don't take him just because you caaan!" We laughed, just as Lily stopped on the brakes, for a red light.

"Jeez." She breathed, turning down the radio. Parked to the side of us was a young boy around are age, wearing black sunglasses, who was staring at us.

"Yes?" Lily turned her head. "Stop staring buddy." I snapped, getting kind of creeped out. The boy didn't reply, but instead continued driving, as the green light had come on.

...

"And here lies the hell!" smiled Lily cheerfully, arms wide by her side. She'd just pulled into the school parking lot, and had commented on her love of school.

"Don't get too excited Lil." I smirked, patting her on the back as we both got out of her car.

I glanced around the parking lot, and sighed.

Same school, same people, same town, same events.

"Come on, we've got homeroom." Lily urged, dragging me out of my state. We entered the school without a fuss, passing crowds of students returning from the school break.

...

Lily and I were headed to are first class, when we saw Bonnie Bennett staring at the back of a boy in an office.

"Whose ya new boyfriend Bennett?" questioned Lily, as we filed behind her. Bonnie laughed. "Some new kid."

"And let me guess," I started. But before I could finish, the boy turned around and walked right past.

"You called dibs."

Lily and I stared wide eyed at each other, as it was the boy from the car. "Gotta go Bonnie, see you!" I rushed, quickly running off with Lily.

"Stalker boy is here!" I gasped, as we reached a secluded area. "What a creep." Lily snorted, glancing to where he was stood.

I frowned, as I realised he was talking to my sister.

"Isn't that Elena?"

...

It was in my last period History class, when I first saw him.

I could faintly hear the ramblings of Mr Tanner talking about a war of some sort, and I slowly started to doze off.

_I gasped in amazement, seeing the area surrounding me._

_I was in a beautiful garden, filled overgrown trees, bright colourful flowers, and seemed to stretch out into countless acres._

_I frowned slightly, as I realised I was seated on a thick wooden bench. "Is this your mind or mine?"_

_I jumped in fright, as I saw someone next to me. He was a older looking brunette, who was staring at me in complete wonder. I couldn't help but note to myself, that he was quite cute._

"_W-Who are you?" I swallowed, standing up sharply. "Someone who is obviously sharing this dream with you," The Man replied cryptically with a frown, glancing around the garden._

"_Where are we?" I gulped, feeling afraid. "From the look of things, I'd say somewhere safe," The man remarked, chuckling lightly._

_I lowered myself back on the bench, but I still felt uneasy about this rather lifelike day dream._

"_This is somewhat of a replica of a garden, backing on to a castle I once lived in," The Man commented. "Must be yours." I muttered, paying half attention._

"_You lived in a castle?"_

"_I'm picky when it comes to real estate."_

"_You sound like my uncle," I snorted. "May I know the name of the person, that I'm sharing my dreams with?" requested The Man._

_He had an old sort of air to him, not to mention his choice in wording. Figuring Lily had just spiked my drink at lunch again, I held out my hand._

"_Sutton Gilbert." _

"_It's nice to meet you Sutton." The Man nodded, shaking my hand. I expected The Man to reply with his name, but the awkward silence continued._

"_You're not going to tell me your name?"_

"_Where would the fun be in that?"_

I gasped as I came to, disrupting my surrounding classmates. "Miss Gilbert?" Mr Tanner glared. "Something wrong?"

"No sir, sorry sir." I apologized.

Mr Tanner made no more comments, and returned to the blackboard. What on earth was that daydream?

I noticed a few people I knew staring at me, most of whom I knew. Lily was staring wide eyed, mouthing to ask if I was alright.

I nodded, but that did not seem to be the case. My heart was racing, and I felt like I was out of breath.

I caught Bonnie, Matt and Elena staring wide eyed too, looking worried. But the strangest thing was not the dream.

Staring with the most surprised look I've ever seen, was Stalker Boy, who looked on with the same look as the others.

...

"Sutton!"

I was quick to get out of class, but not quick enough to avoid Elena. "Are you okay?" she frowned, whispering in a hushed tone.

"Yeah."

"Look, I know everything's been hard, but we'll get through this." Elena reassured me. I nodded, but felt the urge to press on.

"What's with you and the new guy?" I questioned, remembering the weird moment with them together.

"I'm not sure." Remarked Elena, a coy smile on her face. "But I'll get back to you on it." She smiled, before hurrying away.

...

"What was that thing in History?"

Lily asked, as she was driving me to the back to school bonfire party. "Nothing." I lied, playing dumb.

"Sutton!" Lily frowned, telling me she wasn't buying a word of what I had said. "I had this strange dream." I admitted, cringing at the way it sounded.

"Okay, you had a dream." Lily nodded, a little confused. "It was about this guy..." I trailed off, as the "Lily Winters Smirk" was plastered all over her face.

"Was it a s-"

"No!"

Lily chuckled, her gaze returning back to the road. "So what did you and your dream lover get up to?"

I shook my head at Lily's question, but I answered anyway. "He was just as confused as I was," I explained, recounting the dream, "maybe the same thing happened to him..." I trailed.

"Weirder things have happened." Lily agreed. I smiled gratefully, as Lily's ability to accept my strangeness was unbelievably touching.

"Like the fact you can't get hurt, and even if you do, you magically heal," Lily remarked casually, as though it was a normal thing.

We burst into laughter, forgetting the tense subject from before.

...

Trouble in former paradise.

After Lily went off somewhere, I witnessed an awkward talk between Elena, and her ex boyfriend Matt.

They had broken up after are parents had died, as Elena obviously needed time. "Caroline, you and me, it's not gonna happen."

I turned my head in the direction of the cold voice, and it was none other than stalker boy. I had noticed Caroline Forbes take some interest in him, but she was harmless.

He made a move to go over to Elena, but I blocked his way. "You didn't have to be so cold." I glared. I may not exactly love Caroline Forbes, but she didn't deserve to be treated that way.

I he was going to try to treat Elena that way, I would definitely make him regret it. "I'm sorry." The guy nodded, a slight look of regret beginning to form.

I sighed, satisfied with his comment. "Sutton Gilbert, I'm the sister." I held out my hand, hinting I saw his interest in Elena.

"Stefan Salvatore." He replied, shaking my hand. "You're looking to date Elena." I stated, nodding to the girl in question.

Elena's eyes were wide with embarrassment, and she looked just about ready to kill me. "Hurt her, and you'll have the rath of me, the younger brother, and the Lil-ster." I explained seriously.

I patted Stefan's shoulder lightly, as I walked past him. "She's all yours!" I hissed, before taking off in the direction of the woods.

...

I figured I would just go for a walk, as I had a battery full backup torch. However I cringed, as I could make out the sounds of two people making out.

I neared closer, and realized it was Matt's sister Vicki, and resident the resident doucebag Tyler Lockwood.

"Keep it your pants Lockwood!" I called, smirking at the exasperated looks I earned. "Move along Gilbert!" he ordered, rolling his eyes. "Nope, I'm your free cock blocker tonight!" I grinned, giving him them the thumbs up.

"Yes, and I can tell Matt you wouldn't get off his sister." I commented, sarcastically. Tyler took off, leaving me with the delight that was Victoria Donovan.

"I didn't need your help." She insisted, shoving past me. "On the contrary, you did." I argued back, following her through the trees.

But Vicki soon stopped short, as some sort of fog seemed to be surrounding us. It was only faint, but we barely even got any fogs this time in Mystic Falls.

"I think we should get out of here," I swallowed, stating the obvious. At that moment, it felt like the moment in a horror film where someone is about to get killed.

Before I could so much as blink, I witnessed Vicki tumble to the ground. Her neck was leaking out blood, and it looked like something had bitten her.

Suddenly, a sharp force took a hold of my arm. It was a young man, who was dressed in all black, and also had the hair to match.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" I screeched.

"I'll let you live," The man considered, as though it was a normal decision. "For now." The man's veins seemed to pop out of his skin, and I could see his teeth were now fangs.

I stared horror struck, as he bit into my neck.

...

_It wasn't that hard to guess I was back in the garden again._

_It was the same as ever, the surrounding trees, the vast garden, the blooming flowers... "What happened?"_

_I turned around to see The Man again, with his eyes wide in alarm. I must have shown my fear, as he was rushing over to me._

_To my surprise, The Man pulled me into a hug. I had know this man for no longer then a day, yet I felt_ _like I could trust him._

"_This is gonna sound crazy, b-b-but I think a vampire just attacked me!" I exclaimed. The Man pulled my head back slightly, so I was looking at him in the eyes._

"_What did this vampire look like?"_

_I was surprised he believed me, but I was so out of it, I did not notice. "Dark hair, tall..." I trailed of, repressing the urge to sob at the thought of mine and Vicki's attacker._

_Vicki!_

_What if she was dead? The attacker had been so fast, he could have killed her already. The Man sighed, an angry look upon his face._

"_The vampire you just described goes by the name of Damon Salvatore," he breathed, not letting me go._

"_I've heard he and his brother Stefan had arrived in Mystic Falls," he cursed. "Wait what?" I gasped, wondering if he was implying Stefan was linked to Damon._

"_Sutton I want you to listen to me," The Man ordered. "Okay." I whispered. "Damon and Stefan are vampire brothers, and they must be in Mystic Falls for some sort of purpose."_

_Although I was shocked, I knew he had could not be lying, as he had the most urgent look on his face. "Do not under any circumstances, trust Damon Salvatore."_

...

I gasped, as I awoke from the dream.

Seeing that this Damon guy was gone, I checked my neck. I could feel it slowly start to heal, as I checked on Vicki.

I went to check her pulse, praying that she was still alive, and she too woke up. Vicki was to delirious to talk, so I pulled her to her feet.

To my relief, I noticed the incoming shapes of Jeremy and Elena. "Guys!" "I need some help!"

...

Stefan was a vampire.

Lily had informed me he had fled the scene, right before Vicki had been loaded into the ambulance.

We went ahead with are plans for me to stay the night at her place, but the car ride home had been odd.

"I think what attacked Vicki was a vampire."

Lily's eyes flashed wide in shock, but I didn't let her get a word out. "It attacked me to. And then I saw the dream guy again, and he said that Stefan and the attacker are vampires. And that the attacker is called Damon, and he and Stefan are brothers-"

My ramble was interrupted by Lily, who had to shout over me to get my attention.

"Sutton, I know vampires exist."


	2. Night of the Comet

**Thank you for reading last chapter!**

* * *

"What do you mean?" I questioned, shocked at what Lily had just told me. "Well when you decide to research vampire folklore for a term paper, you find some interesting things." She shrugged.

"I figured I could find some specific vampire stories, that cropped up in Mystic Falls," Lily paused, shooting me a sympathetic look. "I'm freaking you out aren't I?"

"No, no go on." I pressed on, still taking in what she was saying.

"I noticed that your ancestor Jonathan Gilbert wrote a few, so I looked into some of his stuff that was in the town library." Lily swallowed somewhat nervously.

"Except the vampire stories he was writing about... well they were apparently true." My eyes widened, finding the prospect a little too weird.

"The authorities brushed them off as animal attacks, but they seemed to fit what was being said..." Lily trailed off, attempting to find the right words. "It was vampires, I'm sure of it."

"And the same type of animal attacks began, when you and Vicki were attacked."

I realized then and there that there was some truth to what the dream man told me, and that maybe I wasn't as crazy as I originally thought.

"So do you really think those brothers are vampires?" Lily asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh man." Lily cringed, scrunching her eyes together. "Vampire boy's got the hots for your sister!" she exclaimed. "What should we do?"

"For now, let's keep are theories to ourselves."

...

By the time I knew Vicki was fine, I was completely wiped out. Once I reached my bedroom, I was quick to avoid Elena. I had no clue what to say.

_Hey Elena! There's a good chance your new love interest is a vampire!_

Because that would have come out so well!

...

"_I told you they were vampires."_

_I rolled my eyes, as I must have fallen asleep quickly. This was all too new, and the whole dream thing was still a foreign concept to me._

"_If you say I told you so, I will not hesitate to punch you," I threatened from my place on the bench, seeing that he was standing above me._

"_Not to mention, Stefan's got his eyes on my sister." I grumbled, glaring at the man's smiling face. "You could just tell her." He shrugged, casually informing me._

"_And be locked up in the crazy ward?"_

"_Find your golden opportunity." The man suggested, seating himself on to the bench. "Maybe try to warn her off."_

"_I guess."_

_..._

My head remained on the pillow, as I took in the said dream. "Find my golden opportunity?" I remarked aloud to myself. However I was scared for Elena's life, so I decided I would take what I could get.

I grasped a hold of my phone from the bedside table, and hurriedly dialled Lily's number. A few rings could be heard, and then Lily finally answered. However I wasn't aware of the time, and when Lily answered her phone, I was due for an earful.

"GILBERT!" she grumbled, mumbling something incoherent to herself. "It's 6am." I cringed to myself, as I glanced at my bedside clock, seeing she was indeed correct.

"Sorry."

"No matter." Lily shook me off, as I heard her seat herself up. "May I ask what the wakeup call was for?"

"I had another dream."

"Did you two-"

"No!"

I could hear her faint chuckles in the background, and I noted the sound of loud music being played.

"SEAN TURN YOUR CRAP DOWN!"

I had to lean slightly away from the phone, seeing as how Lily almost burst my eardrum. Sean was her college dropout older brother, who waited tables at the Mystic Grill. He also liked to play loud music.

"Sorry." Lily lightly breathed, returning to the phone. "So you were saying?"

"My dream visitor suggested I try to get Elena to steer clear of Stefan, and that I should find the best way to do so." I recounted.

"Well maybe he's right?" Lily pondered, with a questioning tone pretty clear to me. "Just tell her he's slightly creepy," she added. "Minus the vampire part."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Wanna share the torture together?" "Elena's making me help out with the whole comet advertising thing, feel like handing out flyers?" I asked, praying she would agree.

"Sure, we'll talk when I pick you up, and then we can head into town."

...

Once I was ready for school, I was in a hurry to get out of my bedroom. I grasped on to my bag, and pulled it over my shoulder, but I was stopped by Jenna and Elena, who were stood near the stairs.

"How do I look?"

I shared a confused glance with Elena, and I surveyed Jenna. She was dressed in a classy purple dress, and had her hair down. But it depended on where exactly she was going.

"As in respectfully parental?"

"You look okay." I nodded, shooting her a weak smile. "It depends on where you're going." Stated Elena, voicing my earlier thoughts.

"Jeremy's parent teacher conference," Jenna replied breezily, taking a quick look in a nearby mirror. "Hair up or down?" she asked, holding up her hair with her hand.

"Sexy stewardess."

"Classy working gal."

Jenna let her hair down, and Elena and I wasted no time in voicing are opinions of the hairstyle.

"Boozy housewife."

"A nicely styled waitress."

Jenna shot us both a weak smile, and replied, "Up it is!" "You're feisty today," Jenna noted, taking of Elena's happy mood. "She has a point." I agreed, as she seemed more happier then I had seen her these past few months.

"I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it, fly free, walk on sunshine, and all that stuff." Elena answered nonchalantly, peering over Jenna's shoulder to glance in Jeremy's room. I followed suit, and strangely enough he was not there.

"Where is Jeremy?" I frowned, returning my gaze to Jenna sorting out her hair. "He left early, something about getting to the wood shop early to finish a birdhouse." I glanced warily at Elena, as the "birdhouse" excuse was too farfetched considering it was Jeremy.

Seeing our shared silence, Jenna halted her movement once she came to the same conclusion as both I and Elena. "There is no wood shop is there?" Jenna asked metaphorically, silently cursing herself at believing Jeremy's lie.

However I didn't think much of it, as if the looks Jeremy had been throwing Vicki all summer were anything to go by, the more likely conclusion was that he had gone to visit her in the hospital. Honestly if it meant that much to him I wasn't going to stand in the way, but Vicki was not known generally as a one guy kind of girl.

"No."

"Yeah."

...

Once school was over with for the day, Lily and I made a decision to make our way over to hers, till it was time to start the whole handing out flyer process, that we later decided to ditch. I had already gotten permission from Jenna, and that was how I found myself blushing as Lily demanded I tell her of how this "mystery man" looked.

"He was kinda tall, dark, and handsome." I finished, chuckling to myself over the last part. It was never usually typical of me to crush on boys, but then again he was awfully cute... Not that I'd ever admit that to him. "Tall dark and handsome huh?" Lily cocked her head with a grin, as though I had just told her something funny.

"Would ya like him tall dark and naked?" "There it is!" I groaned in announcement, awaiting the inevitable embarrassing comment she would make. Lily giggled at my expression, and shook her head to herself. "I'm not even sorry," she laughed in between the words, as I glared menacingly as she spoke. "I hate you." I glared. "Na, you love me!" Lily brushed me off, waving her hand at me.

...

"_Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" _

_I didn't remember falling asleep, but seeing as how I was in the garden once more, I'd say the film Lily ended up making me watch must have been rather boring. "And here I thought you enjoyed my company," the man smiled, appearing unaffected by my comment. I couldn't help but smile back, as the cute little twinkle in his eye was rather sweet. _

"_May I ask what caused you to fall asleep?" questioned the man, shaking his head amusedly. "Well from what I could gather," I paused for a moment, attempting to recall my last memories, "I fell asleep during The Notebook."_

"_The Notebook?"_

"_Romance film, I always fall asleep when someone tries to get me to watch it." I admitted shamelessly, turning bright red as he started to laugh at me. "It's not funny!" I protested, mock glaring at him. "I think it's the main guy's voice, kinda dreary if you ask me." I frowned whilst in thought. "You really are not the typical girl of these days are you Miss Gilbert?" he grinned. _

"_That I am not." I agreed, at a loss as to why he was so interested in me. Turning to him hesitantly, I tapped him lightly to get his attention. I gasped quietly, as a short lived spark shot straight up my arm. And by the look of utter surprise on his face, I could guess he felt something similar too. I simply brushed it off, and tried to move on to another subject._

"_So seriously!" I waved my hands, emphasising how much the subject had been irritating me. "What should I call you?" I asked, resting my arm on the bench. "Because I don't think "The Man" is gonna cut it." I air quoted, huffing at his amused smile turning to an outright huge toothy grin. Offering out his hand like he did once before, I gently took a hold of it and shook it. "Elijah. My name is Elijah." He spoke softly, just as I freed my hand from his grasp. "Elijah huh?" I remarked, more so to myself. "Like the prophet?"_

"_Well that's a new one." Elijah commented, casting his gaze to the surrounding garden. "Tell me Sutton, has anything like this occurred before in your life?" I shook my head in response, as the strangest thing that had happened to me was my abnormal habit of accelerated healing. However I wasn't one-hundred percent sure I could trust him with the knowledge of my gift, so I remained silent. "What about you?"_

_Elijah shook his head diligently, confirming that this rather odd connection between the two of us was not a usual occurrence for either of us. "No. I've heard of some people sharing a mind link before, but I have heard they are quite rare. Some are implanted, but there are not many who can perform such a spell."_

"_What do you mean by spell?"_

"_Well if vampires can exist Sutton, why not witches?"_

_My jaw dropped at the mention of witches, as it was not something I had prepared myself for. "You're kidding right?" "Right?"_

_It seemed he was not, as he did not reply._

"_I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you Miss Gilbert."_

_..._

"Sutton!"

I shot awake at the sound of my friend's voice, who had been urgently shaking me awake. "Hey. I just got a phone call from Jeremy, he says Vicki went off on one of her benders again."

Knowing Jeremy hadn't wanted to talk to me about it, I guessed Vicki was not in serious trouble after whatever events had happened. "So," Lily began, seating herself next to me on her bed, "did you see Mr Mcdreamy again?"

"Oh yes."


End file.
